This very fine early career compilation skims the cream from instrumentalist Carl Weingarten's first seven albums (one unreleased track, the moody, spacious "Holographic Blues," is also included). Weingarten is an appealing, accessible experimentalist, and a guitarist of considerable skill (his fortes include the slide guitar, the Dobro, and the use of effects). His music is rooted in folk and country, but is not bound be these categories; as it draws on jazz, psychedelia, world music, and ambient conceptions as well. HAND IN THE SAND covers a twelve-year span--1990-2004--yet remains remarkably cohesive in its vision. The influence of progressive guitarists like John Fahey (especially on Weingarten's acoustic work) and Bill Frisell (on his effects-drenched electric work) is clear, yet Weingarten's approach is singular. Never technically flashy, Weingarten has developed his own style that relies as much on a unique approach to phrasing and tonal atmosphere as it does on mechanical skill. Moreover, Weingarten is usually joined by musicians on percussion, synthesizer, and bass, and these collaborations yield a compelling, individual, and often quite beautiful music.

Rovi